Drinkers with a Running Problem

Home Brewers... (Read 1606 times)


Feeling the growl again

    Pasteurization almost never ever involves chemicals.  At most, they'd add sulfates.  The main issue with pasteurization is that it kills off the natural yeasts and helpful bacteria, both of which are likely to create a relatively sour product after full fermentation. 

     

    Depending how commercial the operation is, much pastuerized cider has also had potassium sorbate added.  You really, really don't want to use that stuff....there's a reason potassium sorbate is used -- usually in conjunction with sulfites -- to stop fermentation of wine.

     

    Around here, both of the orchards from which I've bought cider pastuerize.  Can't say I saw sorbate on the label (if it's in there it is supposed to say it) but I wasn't looking either.

     

    If it has been pastuerized, but no sorbate or sulfites have been added, you can ferment it.

    "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

     

    I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

     


    Prince of Fatness

      there's a reason potassium sorbate is used -- usually in conjunction with sulfites -- to stop fermentation of wine.

       

      Are those the campden tablets?  I use them for brewing, but for a different reason.  I use them to neutralize the chloramine in my tap water.  I was noticing an off taste in my beer, almost a chemical taste.  I only noticed it in my lighter bodied beers especially.  Since I started adding campden tablets to the water that I use for brewing the problem has disappeared.  Chloramine is more stable than chlorine and is not broken down by boiling.  I use 1 tablet per batch (8-10 gallons total) and that's probably overkill.  I have heard that 1 tablet will treat 20 gallons.

      Not at it at all. 


      Prince of Fatness

        Nobody else brewing?  Well, I am.  Tonight I bottled my Holiday Ale.  I brewed it in early July and the spices have mellowed nicely.  6 weeks or so of bottle conditioning and I'll be set.  Here is a shot of the beer being racked to the bottling bucket...

         

         

        I brewed a milk stout in my garage Saturday and had some helpers over.  I figured that it would be a good time to sample some holiday spiced ale.  It was a little over 4 weeks in the bottle and damn, it was real tasty.  Everyone that had a sample enjoyed it.  Nice and spicy but very drinkable.  Perfect for the holidays.

        Not at it at all. 


        Feeling the growl again

          Are those the campden tablets?  I use them for brewing, but for a different reason.  I use them to neutralize the chloramine in my tap water.  I was noticing an off taste in my beer, almost a chemical taste.  I only noticed it in my lighter bodied beers especially.  Since I started adding campden tablets to the water that I use for brewing the problem has disappeared.  Chloramine is more stable than chlorine and is not broken down by boiling.  I use 1 tablet per batch (8-10 gallons total) and that's probably overkill.  I have heard that 1 tablet will treat 20 gallons.

           

          Campden tablets are sulfite.  They kill most wild yeasts and bacteria...brewing yeasts are, for the most part, developed to be resistant to normal levels of sulfite.  This is why when winemaking you can sulfite the juice/mashed fruit then add brewing yeast the next day.  Then you add the rest of the sulfite at bottling.  Campden tablets also have antioxidant value, which helps with winemaking anyways.

           

          Potassium sorbate works differently.  It prevents the little beasties from reproducing but does not necessarily kill them.  So it is really, REALLY hard to get a fermentation started if potassium sorbate has already been added (like in a lot of commercial cider for instance).  However, if you throw in enough yeast from the get-go so they can complete the fermentation without reproducing, it is technically possible to acheive fermenation.  I did that in college.

          "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

           

          I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

           


          Prince of Fatness

            It's been a while since I posted in this thread and I was having withdrawals.  I'm sitting here post run drinking a glass of Black IPA that I brewed before the holidays.  Damn it's tasty.

             

            Not at it at all. 


            Am I doing this right?

              Black IPA is on my list of brews I need to do...soon.  That one looks mighty tasty.

              No excuses....


              Prince of Fatness

                Black IPA is on my list of brews I need to do...soon.  That one looks mighty tasty.

                 

                I've only been brewing for a couple of years and the Black IPA is one of the best ones that I have brewed.  I experiment with half batches, which this one was.  Next time I brew this recipe it will be a larger batch.

                Not at it at all. 


                Am I doing this right?

                  Brewed 5 gallons of Pale Ale (Sierra Nevada style) and 10 gallons of Brown Ale (Big Sky Moose Drool style) this past weekend.

                   

                  (Not all 10 gallons of the Brown are mine, only 5).

                   

                  The pale ale smells wonderful in the primary.  

                  No excuses....


                  Prince of Fatness

                    I do mainly 11 quart batches with a few 5 gallon batches.  I am able to do the small ones right on the stove.  Monday I brewed a small batch of barleywine.  I also have a single malt / single hop (light munich and nugget hops) in the fermenter that I will bottle in a few days.

                     

                    Speaking of single malt / single hop beers, one of those will be my next 5 gallon batch.

                     

                    10 pounds Maris Otter

                     

                    3 ounces East Kent Golding hops, 25 - 30 IBUs

                     

                    Wyeast London ESB Yeast (1968), I make a 1 quart starter.

                     

                    Toast one pound of the malt at 250 for 25 minutes and another quarter pound at 350 for 30 minutes.  Stir the malt at the halfway point.  The kitchen smells great when I toast malt.

                     

                    Mash for an hour at 152.  Boil for an hour.

                     

                    Ferment for about 3 weeks then package.  Carb to style, bitters are undercarbed.  I use this calculator.

                     

                    I've already made an 11 quart batch of this and it is a simple recipe but makes a great session bitter.  I'll be brewing it in a few weeks.  I do the bigger batches in my garage and solicit helpers.  They get paid in homebrew and don't complain.

                    Not at it at all. 


                    Prince of Fatness

                      Toast one pound of the malt at 250 for 25 minutes and another quarter pound at 350 for 30 minutes.  Stir the malt at the halfway point.  The kitchen smells great when I toast malt.

                       

                      Still a couple of weeks away from brewing but I had time to toast the malts so I got it done.  The whole house smells great.   This is a crappy picture but here is the toasted malt.  The malt toasted at 250 for 25 minutes is on the large pan.  The plate on it has malt that is not toasted.  It's not easy to tell up close let alone in this picture.  The smaller pan has the malt toasted at 350 for 30 minutes,  You can see it is darker in this picture and it is really noticeable up close.

                       

                      Not at it at all. 


                      Prince of Fatness

                        Well now, I learned a little today.  I am sipping on a single malt / single hop beer right now.  Light Munich malt and Nugget hops.  I hopped this puppy up to 53 IBU's with lots of flavoring additions and a small dry hop, and I cannot taste them at all.  Munich dominates.  I lightly toasted 20% of the malt.

                         

                        When I bottled I did get a bit of hop taste.  This beer is only 11 days in the bottle.  Hops are gone.  Don't get me wrong, this beer is in no way too sweet, but the malt definitely takes the front seat.  This beer is actually pretty damn delicious, just not what I expected.

                        Not at it at all. 

                        Trent


                        Good Bad & The Monkey

                          Nobody else brewing?  Well, I am.  Tonight I bottled my Holiday Ale.  I brewed it in early July and the spices have mellowed nicely.  6 weeks or so of bottle conditioning and I'll be set.  Here is a shot of the beer being racked to the bottling bucket...

                           

                           

                          Hey. Tasty!


                          Prince of Fatness

                            Thanks!  I noticed that it was bottled 5 months ago to the day, so it is aging well (I brewed it July 4 weekend last year).  Good thing because I have a case of it aging in the basement.  It was pungent with spices when I brewed it.

                             

                            Funny my homebrew came up, I just got done bottling a small batch of barleywine.  It attenuated a little more than I would have liked and the sample definitely had an alcohol presence (delicious otherwise).  But I primed with dark brown sugar and put a do not open until Thanksgiving note on the case.  Aging will help this one mellow out.

                            Not at it at all. 


                            The year of base

                              I need to post in this thread, mostly because it was this thread that got me into homebrewing 2 1/2 years ago.  Now, many many batches later, I'm almost complete with my all grain setup in my garage.

                               

                              I wanted to thank everyone who contributed early on to this thread for giving me the 'brewing bug'.  Now I can't stop.  I currently have a Munich Helles lagering, on tap I have a Delerium Tremens clone, an apricot belgian wit, a bitter IPA, a belgian IPA and a kolsch.  I have a noble pils, another munich helles and a marzen on deck for my Oktoberfest party this year (can't ever plan too far in advance).

                               

                              Anyways, I'll try to post some pics soon, but thanks again for getting me into this hobby.

                              Goals: Run 1400 miles

                              Marathon: sub 3:45

                              Half marathon: sub 1:40

                              10K: sub 42:00

                              5k: sub 20:00


                              Prince of Fatness

                                Anyways, I'll try to post some pics soon, but thanks again for getting me into this hobby.

                                 

                                The pictures are what makes this thread.  I see that you do some lagering.  Do you have a fridge?  I think that I will try it but it will have to wait until next winter.  I don't have a fridge but I think that I can maintain temperatures 40 or below in a cooler in my garage.

                                Not at it at all.